PopUp Painting’s ‘artist of the week’ is British artist Fiona Rae.
Fiona Rae is a contemporary abstract painter, who was one of the members of the ‘YBAs’ or ‘Young British Artists’ who were prominent in the art world during the 1990’s.
The artist first rose to fame when she was included in ‘Freeze’, an exhibition curated by the notorious Damien Hirst. Soon after, Rae was also included in ‘Sensation’ at the Royal Academy, a show that catapulted the careers of many young artists at that time.
Rae makes vivid abstract paintings that draw on and develop a variety of formal, painterly motifs. The artist’s works buzz with energy and humour, and aim to challenge the conventions of contemporary painting. Fiona Rae’s works juxtapose flat areas of pure colour with dragged or scumbled thick paint marks. Although Rae’s compositions can appear accidental, close inspection reveals a highly controlled handling of paint. As the artist’s work developed throughout the 2000’s it has become more structured, and focused on certain motifs, in particular motifs taken from movie and televisual culture.
Fiona Rae was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 1991.
We will be featuring Fiona Rae’s wonderful work all week on our Facebook and Twitter pages, but in the meantime here is a selection of our favourite works by the artist:
